Dr H J Foley Rest Park

If you’re spending the day shopping along Glebe Point Road or have just bagged a bunch of bargains from Glebe Markets, drop in to Dr HJ Foley Rest Park and, um, rest. The park had a massive upgrade in 2009, which gave it new paths, lighting and a kids’ playground. Stage two of the upgrade is meant to start later this year, which should deliver some lovely sandstone seats near the bus stop. (Win!) They’re also going to build some new toilets and plant a bunch of new plants to spruce things up. A lovely little hideaway is going to get even better.

The entire concept of the ‘rest park’ is divinely inspired as far as I’m concerned.
This little patch of green is a lovely spot to catch a breath from the determined cool of Glebe Point Road. Kids play on the giant hammock swing, and run around on the open grass with parents desperately trying to catch up. Those of us in need of some p & q can sit under the fig trees and listen to the magpies argue. The park’s been considerably glammed up since I lived in Glebe, when you’d fear for your valuables even walking past. Not so now, and I’m grateful.

I love Sydney for its small parks that break up the urban monotony. This little patch of grass in Sydney is near and dear to my heart. Many an afternoon when it’s sunny out, I will grab some take away lunch from a nearby restaurant (usually Fish on Fire, Thai on Wok, Sonoma Bakery or Chicken Plus) and lie out on my beach blanket. There are some crazies that roam the park, no point denying it, but I like to think it adds to the local charm.
On a semi-​related note, one morning after reading on a park bench, I left my phone behind when I dashed off to get ready for work. Realizing what had happened, I sprinted back to the park in desperation. There was a woman with the baby carriage where I had been sitting. I asked her frantically if she had seen it. Oh yes, she had. When she found it, she sent her friend down to the Glebe police station to turn it in, but decided to wait around a while in case the phone’s careless owner returned. Needless to say, all my faith in humanity was restored that afternoon. And while I will never leave my phone behind again, it’s good to know that my little neighborhood park is a safe place to do so.

This park has got to house one of the most interactive playgrounds in the Inner West — for kids and adults alike.
The play equipment here is great (yes, I have sampled it personally), and tailors to the Inner West’s musical inclinations. With a giant glockenspiel amongst other musical/​play equipment, it’s great place to try out that new song you’ve been working on — the neighbours here must relish the sound of silence.
In saying that, Foley Park is a pretty peaceful place. Despite the constant chortlings of the Wireless House, a sound-​art installation designed to replicate an 1930’s wireless radio that once lived here (this is really cool despite being somewhat creepy at night), this provides a more interesting and relaxing soundscape, as opposed to just being irritating white noise.
Foley Park fills with people lying in the grass on their lunch breaks, and as a free wireless internet hotspot, its a common and lovely spot for uni groups to meet. It remains pretty well lit at night, and the pathway running through the park doesn’t feel like it should bear signs of warning. And the best thing about it? It’s directly opposite both Sonoma bakery/​café and Fish On Fire, and thus makes the perfect picnic spot.